The care of critically ill patients generates vast quantities of clinical data. These data are processed by an ICU team and are the basis of subsequent medical decision making. Data overload is a phenomenon whereby the significance of data (signal) is lost within an overwhelming quantity of insignificant data (noise). The quantities of data generated in the ICU can, at times, overwhelm a physician's personal capacity to identify and then process relevant data. This may lead to errors of clinical judgment or delays in the delivery of time sensitive interventions.